Ava I dig the tip of my fingernails into my palm as I glare at my husband, waiting for him to answer my question. The silence in the car is thick and it stretches to the point that it almost feels suffocating. Quite frankly I don't think I’ll be able to keep the anger burning in my chest from spilling much longer. Outside Benjamin casually leans against the hood of the car, his arms folded across his chest as he stares into the distance. He’s been standing there for the last five minutes, ever since I politely asked him to get out of the car while I had a conversation with my husband. A husband who was quite literally getting on my last nerves with the whole silence thing he was going for instead of providing me with answers. The parking lot is filled with people moving in and out of the airport with their luggage in tow. Nearby, a group of travellers rushed past, dragging their luggage behind them and happily laughing at something one of their members had said. Their happy
Nikolai I should have known something was wrong the moment we boarded my private jet and I felt Ava stiffen beside me. “What's wrong?” I ask when I hear mumbling something under her breath I can't quite make out. She bites the inside of her cheek, turning to me. “I may have forgotten to mention that I'm kinda, sorta, afraid of flying.” She replies, forcing out a laugh. I stare at her, waiting for her to tell me that she's joking, but her lips remain pressed together as she grips the armrest tightly, holding on to it like it's her lifeline. Of course, she's afraid of flying. Her body trembles and she bites down on her lower lips once we reach the runway. She looks like she's seconds away from throwing up and for the sake of the people responsible for cleaning this jet, I hope she doesn't. “Why didn't you tell me?” I ask and she regards me briefly, her body still trembling. “I wasn't sure how you'd going to react.” She mutters. My stomach twists as the weight of her words
AVA After over ten hours of being trapped in a plane, I can't help but breathe a sigh of relief when the plane finally touches down. The pilot's voice comes through, informing us that we've landed, and the moment the wheels of the plane hit the tarmac, I feel the heavy anxiety that had wrapped my mind during the flight slowly begin to unravel. I’d barely gotten any sleep throughout the flight and since Nikolai was my only source of distraction whenever the plane would stutter or shake, neither had he. “Let’s go” Nikolai whispers gently, taking my hand in his. I nod, following his lead and allow myself to relish the feeling of his callous fingertips against my palm as he leads us out of the plane. The moment my feet touch solid ground again, I'm immediately consumed with a sense of relief and gratitude. I turn to Nikolai, offering him a small smile, which he returns with a gentle squeeze of my hand. Never have I ever been as grateful for the feeling of the earth beneath my fee
Tatiana Nikolai's wife is nothing like I imagined her to be. She’s quiet, but not timid, with an air of hesitance she tries—but fails—to conceal from me. I'm not sure how I feel about her just yet. She seems innocent, almost unsure about a lot of things but I know better than to underestimate her. She throws a look over my shoulder catching my eye as she moves. She looks like she wants to tell me something but she bites down on her bottom lip, stopping the words before they could let out. She's hesitating again. I want to know what's going through her mind. Does she suspect the real reason why Nikolai brought her to Russia? The idea nags at me, but I push it aside. That seems very unlikely. From what Nikolai's told me so far about her, she's determined not to help him with his plot to murder her father. If she had even the faintest inkling of Nikolai’s true intentions, I have a feeling she wouldn’t be here. She turns back around and continues to walk In Front of me shakin
Ava Fuck I hurl my clothes onto the bed, one piece after another, yanking them out from the bag Kat had packed for me. They were dresses, skirts, blouses, pants, and even tank tops, but none of them was what I was searching for. Fuck, fuck, fuck. She didn’t pack me a nightgown. Not even a t-shirt or anything remotely comfortable to sleep in. Of all the things to forget, how in the world could she forget that? Water drips down my body from my still-wet hair, pooling on the hardwood floor at my feet in tiny puddles as frustration burns my chest. I’d made a beeline for the bedroom the moment I stepped into the guest house desperate for a hot shower to wash off the stress of the day. Now here I am, freshly showered with a towel clinging to my damp body as I glare down at the mess of impractical clothing scattered across the bed. I let out a harsh breath and tug at the knot of my towel, its damp edges clinging uncomfortably to my skin. What the hell was I going to do
Nikolai The sudden thud of a body hitting a surface snaps my attention toward the door. Ava stands by the door, rubbing her elbow and wincing. Her brows pinch together in discomfort as she presses her palm against the sore spot, trying to soothe the ache. “Ouch,” she mutters, her voice soft and lips forming a small pout. Fuck. Her hair is damp and sticks to her face in wet clumps, which makes her look like the literal definition of a wet dream and a mermaid rolled into one. Water beads trail down her shoulder and I can't help the way my eyes follow the path, tracing it until the droplet disappears beneath the edge of the towel she holds tightly to her chest Trakhni menya (Fuck me) Somebody down there must really hate me to deliver hell to my doorsteps. Because why else would my wife, the object of all my fantasies and the person who's been on my mind since I stepped out of the shower minutes ago, be standing In front of me? She looks like a deer caught in headlights as she ta
Ava I'm used to the quiet that proceeds in the dark. There's something comforting about hearing the sound of my own heartbeat thumb steadily beneath my chest as I stare up at the ceiling. Okay, so that's a lie, and I'm sleep-deprived. The sheets rustle as I turn in bed accompanied by the soft creek of the bed frame beneath me. Moonlight streams through my partially drawn curtains, casting silvery patterns on the wall and half my bed. The smell of spice and leather invades my lungs, distracting me as it has during the last hour. I push down Nikolai's shirt from where it's ridden up on my thigh and let out a loud huff. I close my eyes, willing the stillness and the scent of my husband to lull me off to sleep. Nothing. I peel my eyes open and toss back on the bed. This isn't working. Swinging my legs off the bed, I get into a sitting position and grab my phone from the nightstand. Pushing the power button, I watch the screen come to life in my hands and nearly bite ba
Ava It's official Tatiana’s sister hates me. How do I know this for sure you might ask? Simple, when I arrived this morning with Tatiana by my side, she made it her first mission to stick me with a look while asking her sister who I was. I thought that at least an introduction would make things better, but boy was I wrong. She immediately picked apart my outfit and insisted I wore makeup even though my face was clearly bare. I can't help it if my skin is naturally rosy. That's what happens when you take good care of it. Faina has made it her entire day's purpose to make sure that everybody knows that she's the one running the show. She's been a bitch to not just me but her sister too. I now fully understand what Tatiana meant yesterday when she explained just how much of a control freak her sister is. To be honest, I think she gave me the watered-down version. Because the real thing is so much worse. There were three bridesmaids in total, but with Faina included,
Nikolai"Why did you decide to open a restaurant?"Ava's question blindsides me a little, even though I expected her curiosity to surface eventually.What happened thirteen years ago was something I never thought I'd be able to tell her and yet I did. Her reaction was nothing like I thought it would be. It came softly, and she looked at me with an understanding I couldn’t quite grasp, gently holding my hand.When I met her gaze, the only emotion reflected was a quiet curiosity that had me wanting to tell her everything she asked. Not a trace of pity in sight.I lean back in my chair, my fingers tapping the table softly as I meet her eyes."My mother loved to cook." I say, "She wanted to open a restaurant when she was younger and if she hadn't married my father I know she would've"Her expression softens, and I feel the slightest sting in my chest. When I was younger my mother was my haven. She was the one person my brother and I could rely on and the only person to show me what love w
Ava“Mr. And Mrs Volkov, We've been expecting you”, the restaurant manager greets us as soon as we step into The Azure Reserve, his tone polished, yet the tremble in his voice betrays the professional demeanour he's going for. He extends a slight bow, then lifts his gaze to meet Nikolai's. “It’s such an honour to have you dining with us tonight. The rooftop has been reserved for your privacy as per your request, Mr Volkov.”It has? I glance back at Nikolai, my gaze roaming his face, searching for a hint of awareness, but his expression remains impassive as always, giving nothing away while mine is wide-eyed.When Nikolai told me we were eating at the Azure Reserve, I assumed that we would be eating in the main restaurant alongside the other patrons. Maybe we'd be given a private booth since he was the owner but that was as far as I expected.Nikolai's hand on my waist remains steady as we follow the manager through the luxurious dining area.Compared to reality, The pictures I’ve seen
Hello, dear readers I wanted to let you know that I won’t be uploading for the next couple of days as my final exams begin on the 20th and will end on the 30th of this month. These exams are an important part of my final grade and assessment before I leave school, so I need to give them my full attention. I’m truly sorry for any inconvenience this might cause, but I promise to return on the 1st of February with new and exciting chapters. Thank you for your understanding and support—it means so much to me. See you soon ❤️
AvaTomorrow arrives sooner than I expect, and before I know it, it’s already 4:43. With just barely twenty minutes left to spare, I stare at my reflection in the mirror, wondering if I'd picked a good enough dress for my date with Nikolai.When I woke up I was simply met with a text message from Nikolai telling me to pick between the two dresses he'd selected for me to wear on our date. I, of course, had no idea which to choose and had called Cara to help me.The soft lavender dress I'd chosen out of the two dresses now clings to my figure, highlighting my curves with just the right amount of elegance and sluttiness. Not that I wanted any amount of sluttiness, but Cara insisted that a bit of sluttiness is okay for a first date and a lot of sluttiness is okay for a second, which was why the Lavender dress would "do excellently. Her words, not mine.Twenty minutes after our video call ended I still have no idea what she means by that.My hands smooth over the front of my dress, admirin
Ava ( Seven years old)I'm not going home.Ava realises this as she sits on the floor of what appears to be an empty cell-like room, except the walls are pretty and only the floor is damp.She tilts her head back against the wall, drawing her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around them as she silently hoped that the men who'd brought her here would finally let her go. Although she doubted they would.It had been over an hour now, and the men who'd taken her were nowhere to be found. They had shoved her into the darkness and left, leaving her with only their warnings of quietness to keep her company.Then men who'd taken her from her ballet studio reminded her of the men she'd sometimes seen hanging around in her father's office. Her father had called them business associates and told her that they were nice people with hard faces, but all Ava saw when she noticed the men pull up in front of her studio was their hard faces. She shivered, but it was not from the cold. The room
AvaNikolai scatter kisses down the side of my breasts then lower, lathering my stomach with the same attention. He hooks his fingers around the waistband of my shorts and my body tightens with anticipation.Nikolai's mouth had felt divine between my legs, and as much as I wanted to deny it, I loved every second he spent tasting me until my throat turned raw from the intensity.I want to feel that again. He'd been so perfect, so gentle with me. I study the way his eyes shut and his nostrils flare with each steadying breath he draws.“Go on a date with me tomorrow night"I think I'm dreaming until his voice breaks through the fog clouding my thoughts. I pry my eyes apart, looking down at him and meeting his gaze.“A date?”He nods then nips light at my hip bone, sending a violent shiver rippling through my entire body. “Yes, a date”, he murmurs, trailing lower.“Why?”He glances up at me briefly, his dark green eyes piercing into me in a way that makes my chest feel all tight and achy
AvaThe bed is warm when I stir awake. I instinctively reach out my hand, only to be met with the softness of the pillow barrier I'd created last night and - Surprise Surprise - an empty bed.I frown, sitting up, my eyes surveying the expanse of the mattress noting the rumpled sheets and the faint scent of cinnamon clinging to the linen, the only evidence that he had been here.I force out a sigh, running my fingers through my now tousled hair as the weight of crushing disappointment settles heavily in my chest. I swallow hard against the lump forming in my throat.He's left me before; why did I think this time would be any different…The sound of a door creaking open and slamming shut behind me stops my thoughts trail, and I whip my head towards the source of the noise.Broad shoulders fill the doorway of the walk-in closet as Nikolai steps into view, every gloriously scarred and tattooed inch of his torso upwards on full display. The pyjama bottoms he'd worn last night to bed are n
Ava"What are you doing, Malysh?" Nikolai asks, his voice low yet curious as he watches me stack pillow after pillow in the space between us.The corner of my mouth pulls downward, barely sparing him a glance. “Isn't it obvious? I'm building a barrier” I reply simply, reaching for another pillow.Nikolai leans back against the headboard, the mattress crinkling softly under his movements. His gaze never leaves mine as he watches me effectively build the only thing I could come up with last minute to serve as a barrier.“And why exactly do you need a barrier, Solnyshko? Especially one made from such flimsy building material" He says, eyeing said flimsy building material.His comment shouldn't bother me half as much as it does and yet it does.I release a puff of air, tucking the stray strands from my bun to the back of my ear before shooting him a sharp look.“If you must know I intend for there to be some sort of distance between us tonight. As long as this barrier is in place, there
AvaI didn't know what I expected Nikolai's room to look like and yet this right here manages to live up to the image I'd built up in my head. Compared to my room, Nikolai’s is massive, a plain that seems to stretch the further It goes.This amount of space seems absurd for one man and yet Nikolai seems to manage it just fine.A king-sized bed laid in dark satin sheets dominates the centre. The colour matches the charcoal grey drapes that hang from the ceiling to floor window that leads to a balcony. Identical armchairs facing each other serve as the only piece of furniture in the large room.There's nothing remotely homely about the place, and yet, for some odd reason, it feels warm.After I adamantly told Nikolai that there was no universe where I agreed to move into his room, he'd simply taken my hand in his and led me towards his bedroom door at the end of the hallway without so much as a word.The words he'd whispered to me in the hallway, our forehead pressed against each other